UNRISD Talks Social Policy with African Development Planners and Civil Servants

For the second year in a row, Research Coordinator Ilcheong Yi represented UNRISD at the multi-week course "Social Policy for Development Planners", hosted by the United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning in Dakar, Senegal. The course, which ran from 3-14 August 2015, brought together mid- and senior level civil servants from government ministries across Africa to build their capacity to recognize and utilize the role of social policy in delivering transformative development outcomes.

As part of the course, Ilcheong Yi lectured on the East Asian experience with social policy and development, and discussed similarities and concerns with the government attendees. While each country faced a unique set of policy challenges, some overarching areas of concern focused on agricultural development, creation and accumulation of human capital, nationally owned enterprises, and planning for sustainable development. The course’s focus on exploring the interconnections between economic, environment and social policy is meant to assist planners to address these challenges, and builds directly on UNRISD research findings, particularly from the Social Policy in a Development Context project, which emphasize the close synergies between economic and social policies.